Above (Left to right) A map of the route taken by the british, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, portrait of Paul Revere who was a silversmith
The Battle of lexington and concord
Massachusetts, 1775, rebels began to stockpile weapons and gunpowder in Concord. The British got wind of it and planned to destroy it. General Gage sent men in the early morning on April 19th, 1775 to Lexington and Concord to seize Samuel Adams, John Hancock and the stockpile of weapons and powder. Spies told Paul Revere, William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott, who made their famous rides to warn the rebels. 70 Colonial Militiamen rallied and met the 200+ British in Lexington. 7 Militiamen were killed and the rest forced to retreat. The British continued their march until they were attack by more militiamen, killing over 120. They retreated back to Boston and the war began (www.ushistory.org).
The battle of bunker hill
June, 1775, Colonist Militiamen under command of Artemas Ward marched to and fortified Bunker Hill, or so they thought. The mistaken Militiamen fortified Breeds Hill (www.ushistory.org) closer to the British than they intended. The redcoats attempted to storm the hill. Since the colonists were very low on gunpowder, they held their fire until the British were within 15 yards (www.ushistory.org), and killed several. Twice more they tried to storm the hill, but the Americans ran out of gunpowder. Hand to hand combat broke out until the Americans were forced into retreat. Despite losing the hill, it was considered a massive victory for the colonists. General Howe lost over 1,000 men and 1/8 of all British Officers at the time in one day.
Above (Left to Right) An image depicting the colonist troops dug in at Breeds Hill(http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/interactive_learning/america/patriots_at_breeds_hill_1775.jpg ), the memorial standing on Bunker Hill(http://www.nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit/images/BH.jpg), and a map of the battle (bunkerhilllg.jpg).
Saratoga
October, 1777 General Gates colonist force sat between British General Burgoyne's force of British and Hessian (German mercenaries) troops. They fought at Saratoga, and the Americans took the victory, capturing thousands of troops and 86% of Burgoyne's officers (www.ushistory.org). This victory was a critical point in the war and a major turning point as this victory proved to the French the Americans could win and gave them their much needed support.
Below (Left to Right) a map of the movements of troops during the battle (00037107.jpg), a modern reenactment of British Redcoats (battle of saratoga.jpeg), and an image depicting the battle (battle-freemans-farm.jpg).
The Battle of trenton
After suffering heavy losses and with his troops moral, Washington planned an attack that would change the course of the war.There was a large Hessian force in Trenton, New Jersey which could easily attack Philadelphia. On December 25th, 1776 Washington crossed the Delaware River and with 2500 troops, killed over 100 Hessian troops and taking many more prisoner, without losing a single American life.
Below (Left to Right) an image depicting Washington crossing the Delaware, (washington-delaware-l.jpg), a painting showing the American troops taking the Hessian mercenaries by surprise, (Battle_of_Trenton_by_Charles_McBarron.jpg), an finally, a map of the Battle (battle-of-trenton.jpg)
VICtory!!!!
On September 3rd, 1783, King George and representatives from the Americas signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War, 8 years after it began. England forfeited all of it's lands in the Americas to the colonists and America elected its first President, George Washington and officially became its own country.